Presidential Document2023-07309
Month of the Military Child, 2023
Primary source
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Published
April 5, 2023
Signed
March 31, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20361-20362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07309]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 20361]]
Proclamation 10541 of March 31, 2023
Month of the Military Child, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
This month, we honor the over 2 million children of our
service members and veterans, whose support and
sacrifice help keep our military strong and our Nation
secure. These young Americans already understand what
it means to serve, shouldering the unique demands of
military life with courage and tenacity.
Whenever the First Lady and I meet with military
children, we are amazed by their strength and
selflessness. Most of these young patriots uproot their
lives every few years--starting at new schools, making
new friends, and learning new cultures and customs in
different corners of the country and around the globe.
They often celebrate birthdays and holidays with an
empty seat at the dinner table. Many have marked
graduations without one of their biggest fans in the
crowd. So often, these children serve as Hidden
Helpers, becoming caregivers for their wounded, ill, or
injured loved ones--and far too many have grown up with
the enduring grief of having lost a parent.
As a Nation, we have many obligations, but we have only
one truly sacred obligation: to prepare our troops we
send into harm's way and to care for them and their
families while they are deployed and when they return
home. Our military-connected children are at the heart
of this sacred obligation. My Administration is
stepping up to meet this obligation. We have expanded
the Military Parental Leave Program, which enables
service members to spend needed time with their
families following a child's birth, adoption, or
placement for long-term foster care. Through the
Joining Forces initiative, the First Lady is leading
our efforts to support military-connected children in
their classrooms and help ease the burdens created by
the highly mobile military lifestyle. We are also
investing to provide their parents with access to
affordable, quality child care.
The English poet John Milton once wrote, ``They also
serve who only stand and wait.'' Every day, military-
connected children stand tall with pride for their
parents and our Nation. They make sacrifices--big and
small--so their parents can continue to serve and
protect this country. These young people represent the
very best of America, and we will always be grateful
for their service to our Nation. May God bless our
troops and their families, caregivers, and survivors.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2023 as the
Month of the Military Child. I call upon the people of
the United States to honor the children of our service
members and veterans with appropriate ceremonies and
activities. I also encourage Americans everywhere to
find ways to support military-connected children,
including by wearing purple during the month of April
in honor of their service.
[[Page 20362]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-07309
Filed 4-4-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 5, 2023.
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